Worker Retention Policy

In 2013, the Long Beach Council passed a worker retention policy for the Long Beach Convention Center and the Long Beach Airport, making Long Beach’s tourism industry more just, stable, and strong. Before the policy passed, city-contracted tourism workers could lose their jobs overnight when Airport or Convention Center authorities changed contractors; they had no protection. Thus, when SSP America lost their concession contract in 2012, 33 workers lost their jobs. This not only harms the workers, but also the Long Beach visitors’ tourism experiences, because employee continuity is necessary to maintaining predictable, high quality tourism operations. Continued employment of experienced workers fosters smooth transitions during management changes, preventing unnecessary upheaval and preserving travelers’ positive experiences and securing return business.

With a worker retention policy, the Long Beach Convention Center and Long Beach Airport will:

✓ Strengthen their reputation among visitors

✓ Retain experienced, loyal workers

✓ Avoid unnecessary upheaval due to management changes

This worker retention policy allows Long Beach tourism concessionaires flexibility while ensuring stability and consistency of operations. Worker Retention Policies are common and often cover city contracted tourism employees:

Worker retention policies are in effect at the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, San Diego, and San Jose. They cover workers at the Honda Center in Anaheim, LAX, and the Port of Oakland, as wells as workers in Los Angeles grocery stores and airport-area hotels.